Hiking, Dog Edition

I love hiking with my boys. I’m not even sure anymore if I actually enjoyed hiking before I had dogs, or if I developed a love of hiking because it was an activity that I could share with my dogs. Anyone who has done any considerable hiking with their dogs knows that you don’t just grab a water bottle and hit the road. One of my greatest fears is winding up several miles in either injured, or with an injured dog, and being unable to care for us overnight or get us back to civilization.

After a hike recently to see the beautiful Colorado fall colors, I emptied my pack to do inventory. The contents are pictured below.

Obviously there is no right inventory list for a hiking pack; I would think that some things would be standard (*cough* compass), whereas others could be highly personalized for the person, the dog(s), the climate, and the season. Depending on the season I will add a thermal blanket, extra wool socks, jackets for the boys, and a blanket/tent rolled at the bottom of my sack. What do you carry in your pack when you hike?